All I Need
by RikaRose
Summary: He was bored with being chased after by fake, shallow girls that he had nothing in common with. He'd rather watch wrestling and hang out with his best friends Seth and Sasha than waste his time, but he was not prepared for when Sasha came back from summer vacation with a new girl in tow, and suddenly he's the one doing the chasing, if only everyone else would stay out of it.
1. Chapter 1

"Look Seth, I'm just bored with it all, aren't you?" he said when Seth complained about him being grouchy and chasing all of the girls away.

"What? No way man, what the hell are you on? Did all of that Irish air short-circuit your brain this summer?"

"You don't ever get tired of the girls being around constantly, always talking but never having anything to say?"

"They're hot. Who cares what they have to say?"

"Do you realize how shallow you sound?"

"Dude, I'm seventeen not thirty seven. Get the stick out of your ass and enjoy the moment."

"What's there to enjoy?" Seth looked at him like he was stupid, and he just rolled his eyes. It wasn't unusual for he and Seth to have different opinions. He and Seth often saw things differently, but somehow they'd become best friends anyway. They'd met shortly after he'd moved to America at the beginning of high school. Seth was loud and obnoxious, and he had a huge ego, but for some reason he'd instantly bonded with him. They were complete opposites but surprisingly alike in many ways. They both loved wrestling, good coffee, and crossfit, and for all of his faults Seth was actually very intelligent and a good guy when he wasn't playing up to his reputation.

He'd been happy to have the more extroverted, loud-mouthed Seth by his side as he'd navigated the horrors of American high school, especially once school started and the guy who'd been a geeky, introverted gym rat that never talked to girls suddenly turned into the guy every girl seemed to want to talk to. He supposed it had a little to do with Seth, and a little to do with the fact that American girls seemed think there was something special about his accent. He'd once had a very blunt girl tell him that he was "fuck hot." He honestly hadn't known how to respond, but she'd been happy to show him just what she'd meant, and like any straight male he'd lapped it up.

He hadn't quite understood why the same things about him that were ignored back home had made the girls chase after him here, but for a while he'd simply enjoyed it. Who wouldn't? But the novelty had worn off after a while. Sex was great yeah, but he'd had enough of it now to know that a total lack of substance behind it wasn't very satisfying. Once he'd realized that his tolerance for the multitude of fake, shallow girls that often hung onto him and Seth evaporated. He couldn't 'enjoy' it anymore, not when it was at the expense of any more of his brain cells dying from vapid conversation that made him want to gouge his own eyes out.

The only good thing that had really come of his relationships with girls over the last two years was his friend Sasha. He'd been set up on a date with her, and had been pretty excited that he actually liked her and liked hanging out with her, but it turned out that they had zero chemistry. Kissing her had been awkward and weird, and thankfully she'd felt the same way. Instead she'd become his first real female friend. Somehow after their awkward non-date she'd slotted right into his and Seth's lives like she'd always been there. Seth had been annoyed at first, but eventually even he had given in. They got used to having a girl around, one who wasn't there solely for one purpose, and it was nice. Seth would never admit it out loud, he still liked to pretend that he didn't actually like Sasha, but Finn could tell he enjoyed it too. Even better she helped keep the herd from bothering them so much, and he could relax a little more.

He hadn't seen Sasha since he got back from Ireland. He'd spent the whole summer back home visiting family, only getting back a few days before, and this was the first time he'd gotten a chance to hang out with Seth and they'd been swarmed by girls. They'd gone to the park to ride theirs bikes and take advantage of the weather, but had never made it past the area right outside of the parking lot. When he'd finally had enough he'd had to bluntly tell them to leave him and Seth alone so they could actually do what they'd come here for. Seth had been amused at his irritation.

For a while they didn't talk. They just rode the trails, egging each other on to see how fast they could go without wiping out, but eventually they stopped to rest.

"So what's Sasha been up to?"

"I don't know, man. I've hardly seen her."

"You seriously didn't hang out with her all summer?"

"I did too, just not all of the time. She scares the girls away. Hell she scares me sometimes, besides she made some new friend working at the coffee shop, new girl named Bayley, and they've been stuck together like glue all summer."

"You don't like the new girl?"

"No, I do. She's cool as hell, you gotta meet her, but if just having Sasha around scared the girls off, adding another one made it impossible for me to get a date. I let them do their girl thing, whatever that is, and I enjoyed a summer being single." Finn laughed wryly, like Seth was ever not single, he liked playing the playboy role.

"So what's the new girl like?" he was trying to picture having a second Sasha around, but it wasn't quite clicking in his head. It was surprising anyway that Sasha had made friends with a girl. She tended to butt heads with most girls, and had few female friendships.

"Like I said cool as hell. Not nearly as scary Sasha, but just as chill. She's got great taste in music and video games, and _dude_..." Seth paused dramatically and he knew something very 'Seth-like' was coming, "she has got one of the sweetest asses I've ever seen."

Honestly it could have been a lot worse, Seth had actually had quite a few things to say about her that had nothing to do with how she looked, and he had to admit he was more than a little intrigued to meet this new friend of his friends. If Sasha liked her enough to hang out with her that much then he had a feeling she would probably be around a lot too. Hopefully he would like her as much as Seth and Sasha seemed to.


	2. Chapter 2

She'd been dreading the move for months. Her parents had let her finish out the school year, but honestly, she still wasn't sure which one was worse-being the new girl right at the end or being the new girl at the beginning. Either way she was still going to get way more attention than she wanted, but at least she would have the summer to get to know the area, maybe even meet a few people and make a friend or two.

What she wasn't counting on was her parents insisting that she get a summer job. They'd given her a few days to get settled into her new home, but after they'd been there a week or two she'd found herself searching the area for a halfway decent job that hadn't already been snatched up by the teenagers who'd already lived there. Fortunately, her luck had good timing for once and she'd been buying herself a coffee at the same time that the coffee shop she was in had a barista walk out on them-less than ten minutes after she'd requested an application. She'd been hired on the spot when she'd turned it back in and they found out she'd worked as a hostess at a local restaurant back home.

Overall the job had been a lot better than she'd thought it would be. There were downsides like how early she had to get up every morning on her summer vacation and people were not always the nicest before they'd had their coffee in the morning, but it was better than some of the other options she applied for. On her third day there she worked with a girl named Sasha that everyone else seemed to be scared of. All of the other girls had warned her to steer clear, but she'd been trying to keep an open mind despite the warnings, and thankfully, once again, luck seemed to have been on her side.

She'd been feeling a little home sick and decided that the comfort of an old Hardy Boys t-shirt was necessary that day. When Sasha had seen it she'd asked her, without even introducing herself, if the shirt was hers or if she'd borrowed it from someone. When Bayley explained that she'd bought it herself a long time ago, she'd been happily surprised to find out that Sasha was not only a fan, but practically lived and breathed wrestling just like she did. They'd spent the rest of the day in conversation that had flowed so easy, their boss had had to keep nudging them to remind them to take care of the customers first.

By the end of the week they were inseparable and by the end of June it felt like they'd known each other their whole lives. She'd never had a 'best friend' before, but she loved it and for the first time in her life she felt like she really had someone who understood her. She had someone to watch wrestling with and talk about wrestling with, and someone who didn't judge her because she'd rather play video games than go to the mall. Sasha was a strange mixture of ultra girly and tomboy, and since she'd always leaned closer to tomboy it was kind of fun to have a friend who actually knew stuff about makeup and clothes and was willing to share both her closet and her knowledge.

They did everything together, besides their jobs and their obsession with wrestling they also started working out together, dragging each other to various movies and shows, and even attempting (badly) to learn how to cook together. After they almost burned down her mom's new kitchen they were banned from anymore cooking without adult supervision.

Sasha had introduced her friend Seth one afternoon when they were at the gym. He wasn't quite what she'd expected from the way Sasha talked about him, Sasha had made him seem kind of shallow and stupid, but she realized after seeing them together that it was a defense mechanism of Sasha's because she didn't want to admit how much he meant to her. Seth was the type of guy who obviously knew he was good looking and how that affected a lot of girls, but he'd also been smart and funny and friendly and not at all the asshole that he could have been. He'd been very serious about working out, and when she made it clear that's what was important to her, he'd turned down the charm a little and got straight to work. In less than an hour he'd somehow convinced her to try a new workout routine and it hadn't taken long before she'd fallen in love with crossfit.

Sasha had been impressed with how quickly Seth was able to convert her, but she'd also been impressed with the way she hadn't lost her mind over Seth. Bayley had to admit, he was ridiculously hot, but he also reminded her of a lost puppy for some reason and she just wanted to take care of him, not date him. Not that she would have been anywhere near his league if she had been interested, but since she wasn't, it didn't matter.

Sasha had admitted to her early on that she had never had a girl best friend before and that she normally spent all of her time with Seth and their other friend Finn, who was gone for the summer. She'd been nervous about introducing her to Seth, afraid that it would suddenly turn her into one of those girls Sasha didn't like, so Bayley was glad that she hadn't really felt a spark with Seth, at least not that kind. Once Seth realized she was serious about crossfit, and also not fawning all over him, he'd opened up a little more with her too and it turned out they had a lot in common. They liked the same kind of music, he was just as big of a wrestling fan as she and Sasha, and he wasn't afraid of getting beat by a girl in Mario Kart. By the end of the summer it felt like maybe he was her friend too.

Even though she would be attending the same school as her new best friend, the first day of school loomed ominously over her head. She hated being the center of attention, and she couldn't avoid it being the new kid. Sasha had given her as much advice as she could-the best ways to get to certain places, which areas to avoid, what the teachers were like and the best way to handle them-but they only had one class and thankfully their lunch period together, she would be on her own the rest of the time.

She rode to school with Sasha that morning, glad at least that she wouldn't have to take the bus. Without Sasha and with no car of her own she wouldn't have had a choice otherwise. She'd gone with her parents to the open house the week before and at least had an idea of where she was going and how to get to her classes. She and Sasha located their lockers together then parted ways to head to their first classes, agreeing on where to meet in the hallway before lunch.

Her first class went fine, but the second ran over. Her teacher was the long-winded, 'you leave when I say you leave' type, and she had to move quickly to try and make it to her third. Of course she tripped right at the bottom of the stairs, spilling herself and all of her stuff in the floor and taking someone else down with her in the process. At first she was too busy apologizing and hurriedly trying to gather her things to really notice who she'd knocked over, but finally she looked up and just barely managed to stop herself from gasping out loud. He was beautiful, like some perfectly sculpted statue of a Greek god. Smooth skin over lean muscle, black v-neck tee doing nothing to hide his perfect body, dark hair starkly contrasting against his pale complexion, and blue eyes so clear she could get lost in them.

She was speechless, apologies forgotten as she became tongue-tied, and the breath sucked out of her when he smiled. She was sure he couldn't get anymore perfect until he spoke, his soft, distinctively accented voice asking her if she was alright. Answering him was a problem, she wanted to at least say yes, but for a minute nothing came out. He tilted his head to the side and gave her a half-concerned, half-questioning look and brought his hand up to gently cup the back of her arm.

She finally managed to stutter out 'yeah' and then everything came pouring out of her,

"I'm so, so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean to knock you down. I was just running late and my stupid teacher wouldn't let us leave until she finished talking, and of course my next class is downstairs on the other side of the building, and I can't believe I'm going to be fucking la..." she trailed off feeling her cheeks warm, realizing she'd been about to go into a rant and the word vomit was embarrassing enough. He smiled again looking amused and said,

"No problem." He bent down to pick up one of her books that was still on the ground and handed it to her, "Don't forget this, hope you make it to your class on time."

Shit, she really was going to have to run now, she grabbed the book and said 'thanks,' hurrying off, throwing one last look over her should only to be embarrassed again to discover that he was still watching her amused and he'd caught her. She ducked her her head and didn't look back again, berating herself for acting like a silly girl as she rushed off.


	3. Chapter 3

That was...amusing. He'd been knocked into a few times before by girls who were trying to get his attention, so when a girl came barreling into him in the stairwell he thought that's what he was dealing with, but when he realized she wasn't even looking at him, flustered as she tried to apologize at the same time that she was gathering her things, he reassessed the situation.

He didn't recognize her, not that he knew every single girl that went to their school. Since it was a new year there would be a new crop of freshman he wouldn't be familiar with, but she didn't have that scared, wide-eyed innocence that was typical of a freshman, besides one of the books she'd dropped was a higher course level text, one he recognized from his last English class. She had shiny dark hair, warm, brown eyes, and what looked to be naturally tan skin. She was taller than a lot of girls, though still shorter than he was, and she was wearing a t-shirt with the name of a band he recognized only because of Seth.

Her rambling was cute, especially when she realized what she was doing and her cheeks turned pink. He wished he'd had a chance to get her name, but the moment he'd reminded her of the class she'd been complaining about being late for, she hadn't stuck around, further confirming that his initial concerns were unfounded. He had to admit he'd also enjoyed watching her as she walked away. She had a nice ass, small waist, full hips and long legs all encased in ripped skin-tight skinny jeans. When she glanced over her shoulder, he thought he'd been caught checking her out, but she must not have noticed because her cheeks darkened again before she' hurriedly looked away and then she was gone.

He made his way to his third period study hall, talked the teacher into giving him a pass to go to the library, and took a meandering path to get there, amusing himself by startling couples hiding in the backs of the stairwells, and trying to get the mystery girl off of his mind. He didn't meet a lot of girls that sparked his interest anymore. After his last attempt at finding someone who was both cute and interesting (and also not trying to hook up with him just so she could brag that she had) had failed, he'd decided to focus on other things-crossfit, hiking, wrestling,art, music, soccer, even keeping his grades up-and he'd been happy to find that he didn't miss the companionship like he thought he would. Of course after he'd thought about it some, he realized that was because he'd never found the companionship he was looking for to begin with, and you can't really miss what you never had. He'd almost forgot what it was like to really feel interested, to feel that spark, the excitement and buzz of attraction. He really wished he'd had a chance to get her name.

Despite his attempts to distract himself and even the preoccupation of his fourth period math class he was still thinking about her when he was headed towards the cafeteria. He was looking forward to seeing Sasha, glad she and Seth both had the same lunch period as he did. He'd ran into her briefly in the hall earlier, and they'd chatted long enough to compare schedules and to agree they'd catch up at lunch. Sasha was excited to introduce him to her new friend, so he assumed her friend would be there too.

He ran into Seth on the way and they made their way through the line before trying to locate Sasha. He saw her distinctive bright purple hair through the crowd and followed it to where she was sitting before he stopped cold. The mystery girl from earlier was sitting next to his friend, animatedly telling her something and not paying attention to anything else around her. She was even prettier with her face all lit up with excitement, and he had a moment of realization. He remembered watching her walk away earlier, remembered watching her hips sway, remembered Seth's description 'the sweetest ass he'd ever seen' and he knew he had to agree. Sasha's new friend and his mystery girl were one and the same, and fuck if that didn't complicate everything.

Sasha looked up to see them and stood up to hug him and Seth. Seth had teased her about willingly showing him affection and she'd laughed. Finn was happy to see his two friends were finally willing to admit they were also friends, but that didn't distract him from the girl still sitting at the table. When she'd looked up and saw him, he'd seen the emotions play out on her face as she came to the same realization he had. She looked mortified, and he hated how her face had lost that glow that he'd seen when he first walked up. It made him want to do something, anything to bring it back. He sat down across from her and said,

"I'm Finn." He smiled and held out his hand, realizing after he did that it probably seemed kind of awkward and formal, and he knew he was messing it all up, but he was happy when he felt her soft palm in his and she responded,

"Bayley."

"Did you make it to your class on time?"

"No, not even close. I shouldn't have even bothered running. I tried to explain about my other class being so far away, and how the teacher wouldn't let us leave."

"What did your teacher say?"

"That I should go to the guidance counselor's office and switch my schedule."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"So did you?"

"Yeah, they were actually really nice about it. They switched my study period in fifth to third, and now I'm taking Spanish with a different teacher during fifth."

"So everything worked out?"

"I guess yeah."

"Good I'm glad."

"I take it you guys met already?" Sasha asked, both of them looking over to realize that their friends were still present and staring at them. She ducked her eyes to the table, faint pink on her cheeks again, so he explained,

"We had a bit of a run in on the stairs earlier before third."

"Ha, more like I practically ran him over. My English teacher wouldn't let the class leave until she dismissed us, and someone kept packing their bag anyway, so she made everyone wait just to prove a point."

"Ah man, you've got Ms. Hershel don't you?" Seth asked.

"Unfortunately. I tried getting out of that class first, but there wasn't another one open, and I have to take it this semester to be accepted for the Junior Mentorship Program next semester."

"You didn't tell me you were going to try out for that," Sasha said.

"I didn't know about it until the open house last week. When I told them I wanted to help people, especially kids, they told me that I should apply and helped me pick my schedule out so I would qualify in time."

"That's pretty prestigious, most people only try out because it looks really good on college applications."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was like that, do you think I will make it then?"

"Of course, you're really smart, plus you actually want to work with the kids, they will be lucky to have you," Sasha assured her.

"I'm going to have to pass English first."

"Don't worry, Ms. Hershel's kind of a stickler about her rules, but she grades fairly," he told her, "Seth and I both had her last year if you want to look over our notes."

"Dude, you still have notes from a class you took last year?" Seth said and Sasha and he both rolled their eyes at him, he continued,

"My notes then. I have study period during third too. I can bring them for you tomorrow if you want."

Seth was giving him a look like he'd declared he was giving up wrestling and girls to join the church or something. Even Sasha gave him a slightly suspicious look, but it was worth it to see her smile at him like that.

"Sure that would great," she said not noticing the looks his friends were giving him. He didn't know why they were making that big of a deal of it. Sure he'd never offered to help someone with a class before, but that was because he knew Seth wouldn't take any advice he gave him anyway and Sasha didn't need it. Of course Seth wasn't going to just let it go.

"You gonna bring me some notes too?"

"On what? How not to be a douche?"

"Aw man, that hurts," Seth said placing his hand over his heart dramatically. Sasha laughed and said,

"Only because it's true."

He grinned at Sasha and glanced over at Bayley out of the corner of his eye. She was trying to hide a smile of amusement and he could feel his heart beating faster when her eye caught his for a second. He felt a sense of accomplishment for bringing that smile back to her face.

For the rest of the lunch hour the four of them sat there in easy conversation. Bayley fit in like she'd always been meant to be there, like a piece of the puzzle they never knew they were missing. She had befriended Sasha first and it made sense that if Sasha was actually going to get along with another girl it would have to be a girl who liked wrestling too, so he didn't know why it surprised him how much she loved it. Like all of them she'd been watching it from a very young age, and loved it whole-heartedly in the way only wrestling fans could.

After an hour in her company and seeing how well she fit in with his friends he knew he was in serious trouble. She seemed damn near perfect and she was so naturally, effortlessly beautiful, and god he wanted to kiss her, but he'd just met her. He couldn't remember ever feeling this strongly about someone so quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

Finn had told her the day before that he would meet her outside of Ms. Hershel's class, so she thought she would have to wait for him, but Ms. Hershel held them late again a few minutes, and his second period class must have been close to hers because he was waiting in the hall when she walked out. She wasn't so oblivious that she didn't notice the looks she received. She'd seen similar looks when she'd talked to Seth in the hall yesterday and she knew they were wondering what was so special about her that she was already friends with two of the hottest guys in the school.

They didn't realize it was just because of Sasha, and that fact alone also made them off limits. She valued her friendship with Sasha more than the possibility of a fling with a hot guy. Not that she would have even been interested in anything with Seth, but it was different with Finn. He made her heart start beating fast just by smiling at her, and she had to remind herself that even if by some miracle he would be interested in her she couldn't go there. Maybe if she kept focusing on how kind and funny he seemed, and tried to ignore what he looked like, she could convince herself of that, but she doubted it. The fact that he was intelligent and nice on top of the good looks made it ten times worse.

When the conversation at lunch yesterday had turned to wrestling-what would be on Raw that night, who the next contender for the world title would be, and whether they thought one of the wrestlers was really injured or if was just kayfabe-she realized that she must've stumbled into a dream. How else could she have been so lucky to have friends (not just one, but three!) who really loved the same thing she did. She couldn't risk it, couldn't risk that soul-deep connection she'd found with Sasha, couldn't risk all of this.

His face lit up with a grin when he saw her walking out of the door, and he ignored every other girl coming out of the classroom, keeping his eyes only on her. She had to give herself a stern talking to about how it didn't mean anything and she needed to ignore it no matter how much it made her chest tighten or her breath catch. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it. She was friends with his two best friends and apparently they had a lot in common, it was natural for him to give her so much of his attention while they got to know each other. There was no reason to turn into a silly little girl about it.

Except the way he looked at her made her want to melt. He continued to smile as she approached him, and said "Hi," before moving to walk down the hall, turning his body towards her a little and pausing to give her time to fall in step with him. She responded to his greeting and he asked,

"Did your class go okay this time?"

"Yeah, not bad. It helps that I didn't have to worry quite so much about rushing out of here."

"This is going to be awesome."

"Why?"

"Because I've never had a friend with the same study hall."

"They actually let you talk here? At my old school they were pretty strict about actually studying in study hall."

"Eh, as long as you talk quietly and don't bother anyone, they don't normally mind. Most of the time I can get a pass to go to the library if I want too, sometimes I do homework, but most of the time I just mess around on my phone. I've got the network on my phone so sometimes I just catch up."

"No way, that's awesome!"

"Maybe we can get a pass tomorrow and find somewhere to watch it. I normally see if I can find the back of a stairwell that isn't occupied."

She may have not been here long, but she'd already learned that the spaces created behind the bottom of the staircases in this school were small and hidden from view making them prime real estate for couples to make out in. They would also work well as a hidden spot to watch wrestling together without being disturbed by teachers, but it was going to be hard not to think about what others would assume they were doing if they saw them. Still, worth it to get a wrestling fix during the middle of school.

"Sounds good."

"I guess we'll have to be good today and stay in the classroom. I did bring my notes, I thought we could look over them together if you don't need to get anything else done."

"No, that's fine. I can see what you meant about Ms. Hershel being strict about her rules and her way of doing things. That class is going to be the death of me before the end of the semester."

"Nah, we'll help you if you need it. Sasha wouldn't have said you were really smart if you weren't, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

Once again she noticed the eyes following them as they found a seat towards the back of the classroom and sat down. True to his word though he pulled out a binder and leaned over so he could walk her through it, and it didn't take long for her to forget about the other people. He was also obviously very smart. His notes were organized and detailed, and she knew the notebook would be extremely useful to her. His voice was mesmerizing as he explained everything-strong, but somehow soft and soothing too, and the way his accent made the words sound as he talked quietly in her ear gave her chills up her spine.

The study period passed much quicker than she wanted it to, and it felt like they'd only been talking a few minutes before the bell rang. He walked her to her next class and seemed reluctant to leave as he stood outside the classroom talking to her until the warning bell rang. She hoped his class wasn't far, but she didn't get a chance to ask before he left and she went inside the classroom. It was as she was unpacking her things that she felt the eyes on her again. She glanced up to see a group of girls all staring daggers at her. From the way they were dressed and made up she knew they were more than likely the type of girls she wouldn't have been friends with anyway, but she groaned inwardly knowing it was going to be a long semester in this class if she had to put up with it everyday.

She liked Finn, liked the thought of being friends with him, and she wasn't going to let a bunch of girls giving her dirty looks run her off. It felt...right...with him. Just like with Seth and Sasha, they fit, but unlike with either of them, there was something more and that made it dangerous, but she wasn't going to let that run her off either. She would find a way to make this work, to have a friendship with him and not let other people or her own emotions ruin it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello Finn."

He heard a voice he hadn't thought about in a while, Tori...somebody, he honestly couldn't remember her last name. She was blonde and leggy and wore way too much makeup. She was exactly the type of girl that had been chasing after him for the last few years, the type that thought they had everything he could possibly want even though the opposite was true. Tori was one of the ones who'd been hopeful they could change his mind last year after he'd decided he was done with the whole dating scene, and she'd been particularly persistent. He remembered having to put her off on several occasions before she'd finally left him alone.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I thought we had a deal."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You promised that if I left you alone that I would be the first one you would come to when you were ready again."

"I believe I told you that if I ever decided I wanted to date a girl like you ever again, you would be the first to know. That day has not come and it never will."

"Please, everyone's seen you with that new girl, it's obvious you are back in the game. I don't care about that plain little nerd jumping the line. Fuck her all you want if that's what it takes, but I want dibs next. I did what you asked, you owe me."

"I don't know what kind of special drugs you've been taking, but I don't owe you shit, and the day I'll ever want someone like you will be a cold day in hell."

She looked genuinely surprised at his rejection though he couldn't be sure (she was the type that he knew better than to believe anything they said), but he didn't care. He wasn't catering to her fucked up version of things, and after she'd insulted Bayley, his willingness to humor her dried up too,

"That plain little nerd is my friend, and I don't appreciate you talking about her like that. Whether I decide to date her or not is no one else's business but mine and hers, but she's far more beautiful inside and out than you could ever hope to be. I actually have things in common with her, and I enjoy spending time with her, which is more than I can say for ninety percent of the girls I dated before. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted what I told you, but I'm not looking for an easy lay and I'm not someone you can use to elevate your status."

"You really expect me to believe you won't get bored with her_,_ she's probably still a virgin for fuck's sake," she said the word virgin like it offended her and screwed up her face."We both know she's not the type to keep anyone interested for long, but if you want to lie to yourself, fine. You'll see soon, when you do don't forget I want dibs."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you deliberately picking and choosing what you want to hear? Whether I date her or not, I am never going to be interested in you, and frankly it's insulting that you think you can call dibs like I'm a piece of meat."

"Whatever. I'll give you a few weeks and we'll see. You'll be singing a different tune," she said and walked away. He stood there for a moment shaking his head, still amazed that she hadn't seemed to hear a word he'd actually said. He wanted to write her off as just a crazy bitch and forget about it, but he had a bad feeling it wouldn't be the last time he had to deal with something like this.

His prediction came true before the day was even out. He was approached twice more by girls, one of them took his rejection fairly well, the other made him so angry he'd had to remind himself it wasn't okay to hit a girl, no matter how offensive she was. He was happy after his last class was over so he didn't have to deal with it anymore, but disappointed he didn't get to see Bayley again, and kicking himself when he realized he never got her number.

He ran into Seth in the parking lot, and told him about what he'd been dealing with and found out that Seth had been putting up with questions all day about him too.

"This is what you get for not dating anyone for months."

"I shouldn't have to date someone I'm not interested just to keep them from bothering me, that's fucked up."

"I'm just saying, you can't leave the entire female population hanging for months and not expect attention when you finally start sniffing after someone new."

"I'm not 'sniffing after someone new' I just made a new friend, one who happens to be a girl. It's not like I started making out with her in the hallway."

Seth snorted,

"It probably would have been better if you had, at least then they all might have been a little more patient to wait for their turn." Finn made a sound of disgust at Seth's reference to Tori wanting to call 'dibs', "Besides, you can't possibly tell me you're not interested in Bayley as more than a new friend. I've never seen you so fascinated so quickly with a girl before. I still can't believe you actually offered her your old notes."

"I was being nice, she's obviously really nervous about that class and I thought it would help," Seth made a sound that indicated he didn't believe him, but then he continued, "And I never said I wasn't interested in more, but I've literally known her like two days, and I'm not a fucking dog. I'm not sniffing after anything, I'm trying to get to know a girl that I find interesting and who I think is really pretty, and I would really like everyone to get off of my ass about it."

Seth held his hands up in defense and said,

"Hey, you want to date her, I don't have a problem with it. She's fun and sweet, and honestly probably perfect for you, but don't bitch at me about people being stupid. You're going to have to put up with it if you do want to pursue her, and if it's not worth it to you then maybe you should back off now," Finn didn't miss the warning tone in Seth's voice, and he made sure to look at him directly before saying,

"Pretty sure it's worth it." Seth looked back at him and grinned,

"Glad you feel that way because she's my friend too, and I would hope you weren't going to get her involved in all of this, then decide you can't deal with the consequences."

"You know I wouldn't do something like that."

"Yeah I know."

They were silent for a few minutes until they reached their cars then Seth said,

"You may want to talk to Sasha."

"Why"

"Because she doesn't make a lot of friends, and you should probably be honest with her and let her know you want her new best friend before she finds out some other way."

"She probably already knows if you could figure it out."

"Thanks," he said rolling his eyes at the insult, "And yeah she probably does, but you should still tell her."

"I will."

"Alright, see you tomorrow," Seth said as he got in his car and drove off. Finn had forgotten again to ask Seth if he had Bayley's number.


	6. Chapter 6

Bayley hummed along to the radio playing an old Maroon 5 song in the background. Sasha had been kind of quiet today on the drive home, but despite that the silence didn't feel uncomfortable so she'd left her to her thoughts.

This had been an interesting day. She'd very much enjoyed getting a chance to spend time with Finn during study hall, and lunch had been great too. Finn and Sasha had spent most of lunch giving Seth hell over two freshman girls who were fighting over him and how he was encouraging it. Seth seemed to tolerate their teasing with the air of someone who knew he deserved it just a little and with a sense of humor.

When the teasing had turned into a debate between Seth and Sasha, Finn seemed to tune them out, dragging her into a game of ticktacktoe on his notebook. They'd gotten so absorbed that they'd both been startled by the bell ringing. They'd been having a little too much fun with the childish game. He kept getting distracted drawing silly faces in her O's, and would act surprised that she kept beating him, but then he would just start another game.

After lunch though she didn't see Finn again and it wasn't long before her happy little bubble from the morning was deflated. In her classes there were groups of girls who would stare her down, knock her things in the floor as they passed, and elbow her as they walked by, and she received more of the same in the hallways.

It was ridiculous how they were acting, and she was beginning to go from annoyed to down right pissed off. It wasn't fair to her or Finn, and it wasn't his fault either. He should be able to be friendly with her without everyone making assumptions and certainly without a bunch of girls acting like she'd stepped on their toes. What right did they have to dictate what he or she did? She was almost more pissed off on his behalf than her own.

Thankfully her sixth period psychology class was relatively quiet and she hadn't ran into any more of the groupies on her way to meet Sasha, so by the time they were on the road she'd calmed down about it. After a little while Sasha finally spoke, startling her out of her thoughts.

"So how did the day go?"

She explained about what she'd had to deal with all afternoon including her thoughts on the way they treated Finn and Sasha had given her a look she wasn't sure she could interpret. Sasha was quiet for a few more minutes before she spoke again,

"I agree you know."

"Huh?"

"About how they treat him like they own him or something and how disgusting it is. I'm just not used to having anyone who could see it from my point of view. Every time I think I know something you go and surprise me you know that?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I thought I knew how I would handle it if something like this happened, but it hasn't been anything like what I thought it would be."

"I don't understand."

"Sweetie," she said giving her another look that confused her, like she was amused by and felt sorry for her at the same time.

"What?"

"You really don't see it. I kind of love that you don't see it. I think if it had been anyone else, someone who was less honest and genuine that it might have bothered me, no matter how close we've gotten, but how could I be mad when you see him the same way I do, when you already care about him for who he is."

"Of course I do, but you're not making sense."

"Yes I am. I'm talking about you and Finn. The reason why the girls are reacting so strongly is that they can see what everyone else can see-that boy is completely infatuated with you, and they don't know how to handle it because that's never happened before.

"Come on Sash, not you too. They're just jealous he's been giving me his attention, but it's just because he's been getting to know me. Don't pay attention to them, they're seeing things that aren't there."

"I'm not paying attention to them, I'm paying attention to _him_. He's been my best friend since the first and only time he tried to kiss me and it felt like kissing my brother. I know him, he's never reacted this way before."

"He kissed you?" she asked, too curious not to ask the question that would only dig her in deeper. Sasha rolled her eyes and said,

"One time. That's how we met. We were set up on a date by a mutual friend we knew from going to some of the local shows. We got along great and it was fun, but there just wasn't a spark. We went to the same school though, and we just started hanging out together, and you can't really hang out with Finn and not hang out with Seth too sometimes. Before long it was just the three of us."

"And now I'm intruding."

"No, actually I thought I would feel that way, but no, it's like you were the part that was missing and we just didn't know it yet."

"Oh. Wow," she didn't know what to say, but it made her feel pretty amazing, and yet scared too because she did not want to mess this up. It was silent for a moment then Sasha said,

"Don't think I didn't notice how you avoided what I was trying to tell you. You're just as bad as he is, only worse because you're in denial. He at least he knows he's in deep."

"I'm not in denial."

"Oh really? So you can admit you like him?"

"Of course I like him."

"As more than a friend?"

"I...I don't know."

"Denial."

"It's not denial. I _shouldn't_ like him. First of all he's like model beautiful and I'm just plain Jane, and maybe that's a superficial way of looking at it, but you can't deny that we don't match."

"But you do though. I've never seen two people gravitate towards each other the way you do, especially not having known each other but a few days. You haven't seen the two of you together, it's kind of adorable honestly. At lunch today you were both so involved in each other you didn't notice anything else going on a round you, and I can tell you those girls are fuming because they saw it too."

"It's not like that...we weren't...I can't...uggh!"

"Exactly. It doesn't matter if you should or shouldn't like him. You do, and he more than likes you. Believe me if I couldn't see it and see how much you two were obviously meant for each other, I wouldn't be encouraging you. And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being a plain Jane. I'd much rather be that than one of those vain, empty-headed sheep."

"Says the girl with purple hair."

"Says the girl with the perfect ass calling herself a plain Jane."

"Sasha!"

"What? You know it's true. Don't get embarrassed, embrace it. But that's what's so amazing about being a plain Jane, 'cause what it really means is we know that it's not makeup and clothes that make us beautiful, that we are unique and that there's a whole lot more to us than what we look like."

"Wow, Sash."

"What? I can be deep."

"I know that. I just never thought about it that way."

"Well you should start thinking that way and stop putting yourself down and acting like you aren't beautiful or that Finn's too good for you. Everything about you that makes you different from those other girls is what makes him like you."

"But Sasha, even if you ignore that, I'm still not sure this is a good idea. I've never had a friend like you. I've never had real life friends who understood how much I love wrestling and loved it just as much. I don't want to lose this, I just found it, and it's already too important to me."

"Who said you were going to lose it? The way I see it, you risk just as much if you run scared from it. I know Finn, and once he sets his mind on something, he's not going to give up. He'll go about it in his own way, you might even think for a while that he as given up, but in the end you'll see he was just being patient all along, and in the mean time you'll make us all miserable. Do yourself a favor and be happy now instead of later."

"You say that like it's a forgone conclusion."

"Because it is."

"I don't know. Maybe you're right, or maybe he really is just being friendly and since most of the girls annoy him, no one's used to it."

"Oh that's true too, but it doesn't mean I'm not right about how he feels."

"I guess."

"You're not going to believe it's true until he kisses you, are you?" The thought of Finn kissing her made her heart start racing and something deep inside of her to feel like it was going to burn her from the inside out. Maybe Sasha had a point at least that she couldn't deny. She liked him. She liked him a lot, maybe more than she'd ever like a boy before.


	7. Chapter 7

He was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and letting his thoughts wander. He'd been putting off calling Sasha all afternoon. He knew she knew. Sasha knew him too well, and if he was obvious enough that Seth could see it, then more than likely the whole school knew, but he was still dreading calling her.

He felt guilty, like he wanted to steal her toy or something, and he knew it was dumb, but he couldn't shake the feeling. At the same time, he really wanted to talk to Bayley again, and he didn't want to wait until tomorrow, but he needed her number. He also knew if he called Seth and asked him for it, that Seth would ask if he'd talked to Sasha yet, then refuse once he found out he hadn't.

He finally reached over and hit the send button on his phone, it only rang twice before she answered,

"I was wondering when I was going to hear from you."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Well if you know why I'm calling I don't have to tell you do I."

"Sorry, bud, no can do. You know I'm not going to ignore an opportunity to torture you."

"Come on Sasha," he whined sounding like a petulant child.

"Finnnnny," She drew out the horrible nickname just to be annoying.

"Ugh, you know I hate when you call me that."

"Well stop being such a baby and admit it."

"You can't just give me her number and threaten to castrate me if I hurt her and leave it at that?"

"So now we get to the real reason you called, you don't have her number."

"Well yeah, that and to make sure you weren't mad at me for wanting to steal your new best friend from you."

"Aw Finn, of course I'm not mad at you, and you're not stealing her from me. I'm pretty sure she's not going to want to talk about make-up with you or how hot Jeff Hardy was back in the day. As long as the two of you don't disappear and forget Seth and I exist then how could I be upset when I see what the two of you are like when you are in the same room."

"So you think she likes me?"

"Finn, seriously?"

"What? I'm not used to this. I don't remember the last time I liked someone this much, hell I don't think I've ever liked someone this much."

"I know, it's just weird to see you insecure about something. Sweet, but weird."

"Me feeling like an idiot is sweet?"

"It is. Watching a boy fall in love, seeing how you really care and how unsure you are. It just gives me hope that someday I'll get to be on the other end of that."

"I didn't say anything about the L word."

"You didn't need to, and don't get all freaked out over it. I didn't say you were in love, but you don't really think you can feel like that and not realize that's where it's leading to."

"One step at a time. I'd like to kiss her first before we start talking about scary words." Sasha made some sort of half-laugh, half-choking sound.

"What?"

"You know she's not like the other girls right."

"Of course I do, why do you think I'm turning into an idiot over her?"

"I know, but, well just keep that in mind. Those feather-brained dimwits would think you were in love with them if you were nice enough to hold a door open, she's not like that."

"Are you trying to tell me something specific?"

"I'm not going to tell you more than that, I'm not breaking a confidence. I'm just saying don't assume she knows how you feel. You're gonna have to use actual words."

"Okay. I can work with that."

"Good. I really want you both to be happy, you know that right? You're both my best friends.

"I know, and I really do appreciate that too Sasha. You know I want you to be happy as well."

"I know, and I am."

"So have I passed the test? Can I have her number?"

"Maybe. First though-I really will castrate you if you hurt her."

"Believe me I know you can be a savage bi...um...person when the situation calls for it."

"Nice save there buddy, and yeah I know you wouldn't be so careless now, but remember when I met you you were a lot more like Seth, sleeping around and not really caring if the girl was too stupid to realize you weren't serious."

"I haven't felt that way for a long time."

"If you did, I'd tell you to stay the hell away from her. You're a good guy Finn, but she's one of the purest, most genuine people I've ever met. Just take care alright?"

"I will."

"Good. I'll text you her number as soon as I get her permission to give it to you okay."

"Aw man, you're gonna ask her first?"

"Well yeah. You're just gonna have to be patient. It won't be a bad thing for her to realize that you went to the trouble to get her number."

"Fine, if you're sure that's the best way, but do me a favor, don't keep me hanging."

"It's not like she's gonna say no."

"You don't know that."

"Dear God, you're both going to be the death of me before this is over with. Of course she's not going to say no Finn. Regardless of whether she likes you or not, she definitely thinks of you as friend, she's not going to refuse to talk to you on the phone. Now hang up so I can see myself out of the middle of this. Hopefully the two of you won't screw it up from here."

"Thanks Sash," he said half-sarcastically.

"Hush, I have valid reasons to doubt you both and I'm doing you a favor. Now, goodbye Finn."

"Bye."

Despite Sasha's reassurance he still didn't move from his bed, anxiously waiting on her response, feeling his stomach churn in anticipation and dread. It felt like an eternity before he felt it vibrate signalling a text and he practically jumped out of his skin.

Nothing but a phone number and a winking emoji. He rolled his eyes at the same time he was grinning as he saved the number to his phone. Once it was saved, he continued to stare at it and her name where he'd typed it in, suddenly anxious for a whole new reason.

Except he really couldn't procrastinate long, not since Sasha had forced his hand by deliberately asking her if it was okay. He had to call her soon or he'd look like an ass. He got up and paced across his room for a moment then stopped, took a deep breath and hit send.


	8. Chapter 8

She hadn't really expected anything else to happen that evening, so when Sasha called her and told her Finn wanted to know if he could have her number, she'd been completely surprised. She was still trying to process everything that Sasha had talked about in the car, and she didn't feel ready to talk to Finn yet, but she knew she couldn't tell Sasha no, besides there was still the very real possibility that Sasha was wrong and and this was just part of becoming friends, nothing more. She knew she had to say yes, so she did. Then she sat there biting her nails to the quick, waiting for him to call.

"Hello?"

"Bayley?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Finn. Sasha said you said it was okay for me to call you."

"Yeah, um, of course. So what's up Finn? Did you need something?"

"No, I mean yeah, well, I just wanted to talk to you if that's okay."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"So, um, how did the rest of your day go?"

"Okay, I guess."

There was a long, slightly awkward pause before he asked,

"Which is your first book assignment, um, I mean in Ms. Hershel's class?"

"Um, Les Miserables," she said, sure she probably mangled the pronunciation, "Why?" she asked.

"Just wandering if it was one of the good ones."

"Okay. Um, well is it?"

"Eh, it's not too bad. I don't always have the patience for really long novels, I like to move too much, but that was interesting once you got into it. It is really long though."

"I know what you mean I like to move too much too. I like to read and be quiet sometimes, but I can't do it for too long."

"Exactly, and if I really want quiet I'd rather be out in nature."

"Yeah? What do you mean?"

"Well I like to go on hikes or bike rides, get away from people."

"That sounds nice."

"It is, very peaceful most of the time. Sometimes I drag Seth along with me, but he's not exactly quiet."

"Definitely not,"she replied laughing, glad some of the awkwardness of the initial conversation had eased off. The moment of silence that followed was a little more natural.

"You're welcome to come with me sometime if you'd like. I have a feeling it would be a lot easier to be quiet and peaceful with you."

"Yeah? That sounds like fun, we should definitely do that sometime."

She really wished she didn't have Sasha's voice in her head, feeding her ideas, and making her question whether he was just being friendly or if there was more to it. The first time she'd talked to Seth on the phone, it had been nothing like this. He'd barely said hello before he'd demanded a rematch from where she'd thoroughly crushed him the day before, and the friendly trash talking that had ensued had been as natural as breathing. The conversation with Finn felt kind of stilted, like he was nervous or something, and she wasn't sure she trusted herself to interpret what that meant.

"So what do you want to watch tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"On the network?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, and well honestly I have no idea. I'm so far behind at this point. I've been trying just to keep up with NXT by watching with Sasha, and Seth invited us both over to watch Summerslam, but otherwise I haven't seen anything in months."

"Why?"

"My parents got into this whole the internet and social media are evil kick last year after my sister dealt with some online bullying. They cancelled all of our streaming services, and only just got the internet hooked up at our new house. They knew I was using it at work and at Sasha's on my phone this summer though, and I think they are go to let me resubscribe as long as I pay for it, but it was a long summer."

"All summer? Damn that sucks."

"No kidding. I'm just glad I met Sasha, or I would have missed even the pay per views."

"I'm sure she was pretty excited to meet a girl who liked wrestling."

"Yeah I guess she was, but she wasn't the only one. I was the weird girl at my other school. I had no idea how amazing it could be to have a friend who was just like me."

"So it must be really weird to have all three of us around."

"I know, it's crazy! What are the odds? Honestly though it's been freakin' awesome. Watching Summerslam with Seth and Sasha was amazing. My brother grew out of it years ago, so I haven't had anyone to watch with in so long, and they were just as excited as I was."

"You know they feel the same way about you. When I got back last week, as soon as I got a chance to talk to them all I heard about was how cool you are. I was excited to meet you."

"I hope I didn't disappoint."

"Not at all. The opposite in fact."

"Well, thank you. You guys are going to make me feel too good with all of this praise. Sasha was telling me how well I fit in with you guys, and I didn't know what to say to her."

"You do fit in amazingly well. Like the piece of the puzzle we didn't know was missing."

"That's what she said."

"And as usual, she's right."

It was silent again for a moment, her brain taking the opportunity to kick into overdrive questioning his tone and his phrasing and wondering once again if Sasha was right about other things before he asked,

"Bayley?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, there _was_ something specific I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay, sure."

"Um, I really want to get to know you better."

"Of course, I'd like to get to know you too."

"Well, the thing is, I really like you, and I was kind of hoping you might be open to the idea, um..." When he seemed to get tongue-tied she asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could be more."

"More what?" she asked scared she knew what he meant, and yet scared that she didn't.

"More than friends." She didn't know what to say. Sasha had been right, but she supposed in the back of her mind she'd been sure she was wrong, that there was no way he could feel that way. She was so stunned she couldn't speak and when the silence began to stretch out he started talking again, rushing his words,

"I really want to kiss you Bayley, like that's all I've been able to think about for the last two days, and I was hoping that I wouldn't scare you off if I told you that, and if you don't feel that way it's okay, but can you please at least tell me what you're thinking right now because I need to know I didn't mess everything up."

"No," she said wanting to reassure him then realizing how that could be misinterpreted she rushed to finish, "I mean, of course you didn't mess everything up. I was just surprised is all."

"Really? I thought I was being kind of obvious. I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you since we met."

"Oh," she said the admission making her feeling like blushing from head to toe. No one had ever said anything quite like that to her before, and she was having trouble wrapping her brain around the idea that this beautiful boy was the one doing it. After a few more seconds he asked,

"So would you be okay with that, with me maybe kissing you at some point?"

"Um, yeah, okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered with a little more confidence the second time.

"Okay," he said though she could definitely hear the grin in his voice and if her heart hadn't already been racing his next words would have done the trick. "God I wish you were in front of me right now."

When he heard her suck in a breath in response he asked,

"I'm not scaring you am I?"

"No," she paused trying to figure out what to say, "You're not scaring me, but it's still scary. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think I understand what you mean. This is exciting, but scary too. Bayley, I just want you to know that I've never felt this way before, I mean ever. I was so nervous to call you when Sasha texted me your number, and right now I'm just really happy that you didn't say no because this feels so right."

It did, feel right that is, scary as hell, but still, right, and she was already terrified that she was going to mess this up somehow, but there was also a feeling of euphoria taking over. He was perfect-gorgeous, smart, kind and silly and sweet-everything that normally made a boy either unattainable or too good to be true, and he'd just confessed to wanting to kiss her. The thought sent chills up her spine, and suddenly she understood the longing in his voice a few moments ago when he said he wished they were in the same room because she wanted to kiss him too, so bad.

"I wouldn't have said no. I don't know exactly what I feel and this is a little overwhelming, but it does feel right."

"I don't want to overwhelm you."

"I know, but I didn't expect anything like this, and I'm still trying to let it sink in."

"Okay, I can understand that. Do you think I'm rushing things too much?"

"No, of course not, at least not yet."

"I would be though if I asked you if we could meet somewhere just so I could kiss you." She practically choked on her breath when he said that. She felt like she had an explosion of butterflies and fireworks go off in her belly. This couldn't be real, and yet it was. She barely managed to answer,

"Yeah probably," even though what she really wanted to do was ask him where. She might want it, but she wasn't ready for it.

"I thought you would say that, had to throw it out there though. So are you going to watch Smackdown tonight?"

"Of course, I'm not going to miss an AJ Styles match even if it's one we've seen a hundred times before."

"No, don't tell me you're a Styles fangirl?"

"What? Don't tell me you don't like AJ Styles."

"Well actually I do. Seth and I argue over whether one of us could beat him constantly, but we're both fans, still not exactly fair competition is it?"

"I don't think you need to worry about the famous wrestler that's twenty years older than me and happily married."

"Hey you never know."

"Nah, that would never happen, and I'm good anyway. I just like to watch him wrestle," she replied and then feeling confidence brought on by how open he'd been the whole conversation she added,

"Besides, you're cuter." He coughed in surprise, before responding,

"I am, huh?"

"You know you are. You've practically got the entire female population at our school drooling after you."

"Yeah, but their opinions really don't matter."

"And mine does?"

"Yes, definitely."


	9. Chapter 9

He'd been keyed up all night, unable to sleep, too excited. She'd said yes (or at least she'd said 'okay' he'd take 'okay') and all he wanted to do was see her face to face again. As much as he wanted to he knew he couldn't just walk up and kiss her when he saw her at school, besides now that he had permission he kind of wanted to make sure it was special. He knew whatever this was with her was special, even if they'd just barely begun, and he didn't want their first kiss to be some throwaway memory. He was going to make sure he did it right.

When he texted her that morning from his car in the parking lot he found out she was still on her way with Sasha so he waited until they got there. After they'd pulled in he walked up to Sasha's car, barely glancing at Sasha, his whole body focused on seeing _her_. For the few seconds that Sasha had caught his eye, he could see that she was amused and she just rolled her eyes and wandered off on her own, leaving the two of them by the car.

Bayley had gotten out, focused on her things, not realizing he was right there until she'd looked up as she stood up and she'd frozen. He stepped forward, gently closing the car door behind her and said,

"Hi."

"Hi," she replied almost shyly and once again he had the urge to kiss those lips. If he hadn't just made a vow to himself to make it special he might have given in to the temptation, instead he made do with making another promise to himself-as soon as he could without breaking his first promise he was going to kiss her just like this, with the morning breeze flirting with her hair, eyes still half-asleep, and out in the open where anyone and everyone could see just how he felt about her.

"Have a good night?"

"Yeah, Smackdown was pretty good, went to bed afterwards. You?"

"Okay I guess. I couldn't sleep."

"Why?"

"Because," he said as he reached over and took her hand threading his fingers through hers and squeezing gently. "This was all I could think about, and I was too excited to see you again to relax." Her cheeks bloomed pink and she ducked her head and he wondered if maybe he was overwhelming her again. After a moment she finally looked up again and shyly admitted,

"I was excited to see you again too."

He grinned at her, the way she'd suddenly gone shy on him after seeing what she was like on the phone last night when she felt more confident, it was cute. He liked the dichotomy of it, liked seeing both sides to her, and he liked that she was sharing so much of herself. He was sure that he could coax that more confident side out by the end of the day.

He gently pulled at her hand, bringing her in step with him as they made their way into the building. He watched her as they walked, catching her eye every couple of minutes when she'd glance over, and he loved the way she would smile back at him sweetly. He asked her where her locker was, relieved to hear it was on the same floor as his, and walked her to it.

The time passed way too quickly and before he knew it he was having to say goodbye at the doorway of her classroom. She surprised him when she stood on her toes and brushed a soft kiss on his cheekbone, then smiled at him and bit her lip. She'd known exactly what she was doing, that look in her eye giving it away, and he'd had no choice but to leave her there, walking to his own class in a daze.

First and second were excruciatingly long. He couldn't concentrate on the teachers knowing he was going to get an entire period with her all to himself in third, and it felt like forever before the bell rang after second. He made his way quickly to her classroom, glad it was Ms. Hershel's class because he knew they wouldn't be released yet, and he arrived right on time. He was happy to see she was one of the first one's out, hopeful that meant she was just as anxious to see him and as soon as she got near he folded her hand into his and started walking with her to their study hall classroom.

He'd already spoken to the teacher the day before, the fact that they'd spent most of yesterday's class working on something school related lent some credibility to his request for a library pass for both of them, and all they'd had to do was stop in and pick it up. They made their way first to the library, had the pass stamped then left quietly out of one of the back exits to finally find an unoccupied stairwell.

It wasn't until they were actually in the stairwell that it occurred to him that now might be a great time, but he'd also promised her they would catch her up on the network, and he'd specifically planned for that and he didn't want to ruin those plans. If he kissed her now he knew he would spend the rest of their time kissing her, and he'd gone to a lot of trouble for this.

He was a planner. He was always thinking ahead, and while this wasn't really a first date, he supposed he'd been thinking about it in those terms. He'd made sure they would have a pass today, and he'd spent a lot of time on the phone last night quizzing her about her favorite wrestlers, her favorite matches, and what she liked to watch most on the network, then after they'd hung up he'd spent the rest of his night going through the network and putting together a watchlist of all the things he thought she'd enjoy or that she'd missed over the summer.

The good thing was though that at least this was a great opportunity for him to find out what it was like to hold her and be close enough that he could smell her shampoo and feel her warmth, and that was pretty great too.

It had been slightly awkward at first as they figured out how to situate themselves, but once they were seated on the floor with their backs against the wall he'd wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so that she was leaning more against him than the wall. She'd loved his watchlist and they'd argued playfully over which of his selections to start with before they settled on something and relaxed.

This was everything he'd ever wanted, and yet it was more too. He hadn't been able to imagine her and yet now that she was here in his arms it was like she was every fantasy he'd ever had. For an all too fleeting half hour he was contented to hold her and enjoy her company while they watched one of the takeover matches that she'd missed.

He found himself watching it almost like he'd never seen it before, her reactions and her emotions fueling his own. When the match finally concluded after several heart-stopping nearfalls and she was grinning in excitement, he cupped her jaw in his hand, sliding it up until his fingers ran into her silky hair and pulled her towards him. Her eyes drifted closed and he could feel her warm breath as he leaned closer and then the warning bell rang. The enclosed space with the speaker directly overhead meant the sound echoed, intruding loudly on their moment, and ruining his plans.

He helped her to his feet, wishing so badly that they'd had just five more minutes, and cursing internally at the damn bell for it's poor timing. He walked her to her next class knowing he would just have to find a better place to finally kiss her, hopefully one that wouldn't include the interruption of a bell.


	10. Chapter 10

She was feeling a little weak in the knees, and she had to move. It had already been a minute since the warning bell had startled them, they had to get going. He helped her to her feet, and his support helped her hide just how affected she'd been. She forced her knees to stay steady and after a moment she felt somewhat normal again.

It was a little concerning how much that had effected her. He hadn't even kissed her, though she was certain that he'd been about to, and she was trying to catch her breath and steady her heartbeat.

She didn't even remember the walk to her next class, just the regretful look on his face as he'd said goodbye, and she still felt like she was in a daze as the teacher did role call. It wasn't until the fog started to lift somewhere mid-class that she became aware again of the looks and the whispers. Their intrusion into the happy dreamworld she'd been in was extremely unwelcome, and by the end of the class she'd gone from blissful to pissed off.

In the hallway on the way to lunch she'd avoided being tripped up twice, and had startled the girls who made the attempt when she'd looked directly at them and given them dirty looks. She was admittedly a tomboy, a little quiet and shy at times when she was feeling vulnerable and out of place, and hated being the center of attention, but that didn't mean she was a pushover. She wasn't going to let them get away with trying to bully her.

She was looking for Sasha when she sensed a different pair of eyes, she looked up to see him walking down the hallway, looking at her, and when their eyes connected he grinned and started walking even faster until he was right in front of her and all thoughts of stupid, jealous girls were gone.

"Hi," he said as he reached out and took her hand in his.

"Hi," she responded back squeezing his hand just a little. This was still a little unbelievable, but it was starting to feel more real every time he smiled at her that way. She was kind of hoping they could go somewhere and pick up where they'd left off in the stairwell, so she tried not to feel too disappointed when instead they went into the cafeteria.

The last two days she'd met up with Sasha and the boys had found them at the table, today she'd gone through the line with Finn, and then they'd found Seth and Sasha sitting together already, arguing. When they'd walked up with their trays though Seth and Sasha had both stopped to grin at the two of them. Seth had smirked and said,

"I see the two of you decided to join us today, wasn't sure you would be able to resist the lure of the stairwells after I heard that's where you spent third period."

"How the hell did you hear that?" Finn asked.

"News travels fast, and you really think you can skip class to make out and no one's going to talk about it?"

"We didn't skip class to make out, we had a pass and we used it to watch Gargano versus Ciampa," she said.

"No way, which one?" Sasha asked.

"The street fight."

"Damn, you guys suck," Sasha said, but Seth was laughing,

"You seriously missed the opportunity to make out so you could watch wrestling?"

"Well, yeah," she replied like it was obvious and Finn grinned at her. It wasn't really any of Seth's business whether they were making out or not anyway, but of course Finn kind of ruined it by muttering under his breath,

"Really wish that match was just a little shorter though," and she could feel the warmth on her cheeks and knew that she was red, as Seth and Sasha were both laughing at them. Finn realized how he'd ratted them out and and she was amused to see him looking a little embarrassed too. He looked at her and muttered, 'Sorry,' and she couldn't be mad.

She reached out and took his hand in hers and squeezed it a little to let him know she didn't blame him. He smiled back at her and they got lost in the moment for a few seconds, until Seth and Sasha loudly cleared their throats, making them both jump, and causing their friends to laugh at them yet again. Sasha said,

"You guys are too cute."

Seth started making gagging noises, and Sasha reached over and slapped him on the arm.

"Hush, they are, and until you can be a man and stop only chasing after girls that are willing to give you a blowjob without you having to work for it, then you really can't talk."

"Hey," Seth protested looking slightly offended. He looked at her and Finn as if he was looking for back up, but they both gave him looks that clearly indicated he was on his own, and he pouted and said, "I'm not that bad."

Sasha said,

"You really are," but she laughed to let him know she wasn't really trying to get down on him, and they moved on from the subject. The rest of the lunch period passed much like the days before, the four of them talking and laughing until the bell rang and they had to part ways.

Finn walked her to her next class and promised he would call her that night if he didn't see her again. She was a little disappointed, realizing that he'd never kissed her, and now she would have to wait, but she smiled at him anyway and kissed his cheek, amazed at how the simple gesture seem to effect him.

Sasha had been right yesterday. There was no way she could have avoided this forever and she would have been miserable if she'd tried. Even if she didn't get the kiss she'd been expecting today, and even if she'd had to deal with an increasing amount of interference from stupid girls, it was still one of the best days she'd ever had.


	11. Chapter 11

As Finn walked with Seth to the parking lot that afternoon, he brainstormed ideas for how and when he was going to finally kiss his girl. He'd been sure when they talked yesterday evening that there was no way he would get through another day without accomplishing the feat, but he'd crashed and burned on the one opportunity he'd had where it had felt right, and he wanted to make sure that he planned better for tomorrow.

After awhile the silence must have gotten to Seth because he asked,

"What's up with you? You've been really quiet."

"Just thinking."

"About what?" He wasn't sure he wanted to admit to Seth that he still hadn't kissed Bayley, feeling almost like he'd failed, but he also knew it would hurt Seth (even if he wouldn't ever admit it) if he shut him out like that. They'd always been honest with each other, even when it was uncomfortable, so he said,

"Trying to figure out a plan."

"For what?"

"How I'm going to kiss Bayley."

"Dude, you gotta plan that?"

"Well I tried today, but the bell rang before I got a chance, and I want it to be...I don't know, memorable I guess."

"You mean you haven't kissed her at all yet?"

"No."

"Geez, how hard can it be?"

"She's special, this is special, I can't just grab her and go for it."

"And you guys wonder why I avoid girls who expect that sort of thing."

"Oh we don't wonder, we know. Besides, you didn't used to avoid them, you just didn't care what they expected."

"Hey, I was stupid okay? I wasn't purposefully trying to hurt anyone. I don't do that anymore."

"I know," he said not wanting to hound Seth about something he clearly recognized and regretted, "But you know it's different with Bayley. It's not about what she expects, it's about what I know she deserves."

"Still, you think maybe you're putting a little too much pressure on yourself?"

"Maybe, but I can't help it. This is too important to me."

Seth was quiet for a moment

"Isn't that a little scary? I mean you've only known her a few days."

"Of course it's scary, terrifying actually, I've never felt this way or done anything like this, but that all disappears the moment she walks in the room."

"So then what's so hard about kissing her?"

"Timing for one. It's not exactly easy to get moments alone at school, and I want it to feel right."

"So don't do it at school."

"You realize I've never actually seen her outside of school?"

"So you have a car, you can fix that. Don't make it so complicated."

"I didn't want to make a big production of it. If you think I'm putting too much pressure on myself now..."

"Well don't then, but maybe you should still see her outside of school, it might help with the pressure, and you don't have to plan it, but you never know what will happen, maybe the moment will feel right, but your only going to make it harder on yourself unless you loosen up."

He looked over at Seth for a moment, it was easy to forget sometimes that underneath the playboy front was a pretty smart guy. He _was_ putting too much pressure on himself, and Bayley might have vetoed meeting up last night, but it had been late and he'd surprised her. She'd probably be a lot more open to it now, maybe she would be up for him picking her up and bringing her back to his home to watch NXT. The thought of not having to go until school tomorrow to see her again was very appealing.

When he got home he immediately called Bayley, too excited about his idea to wait. She'd seemed happy though surprised to hear from him so soon, but she'd shot down his idea. She said there was no way her parents would let her go over to his house until they'd met his parents. He was disappointed, but he knew it made sense, and he probably should have thought of that. At least now he knew he needed to make arrangements for that as soon as possible, and he was just as happy with her alternative suggestion that he come to her house.

She seemed nervous when she asked, and he understood why when she admitted that not only would he have to meet her parents, but that they would probably be heavily supervised while he was there, but he didn't mind. It was still better than waiting until tomorrow to see her.

It wasn't terrible. Her mom was nice, her dad was kind of hard to read, but both were welcoming to him. He was used to siblings being around and in his business so he tolerated the eyes following his every move, and was grateful that at least her parents made them give them a little bit of privacy. They were able to curl up on the couch and watch NXT on his phone mostly undisturbed.

He knew he wouldn't be able to kiss her with her family hovering, but Seth was right, spending time with her away from school did help. Even under the watchful eye of her curious family he felt like he could relax more, and it felt like she had too. Afterwards her parents let them go outside and sit on steps of her back porch alone. It was a clear night and the stars were bright in the sky overhead. He started talking, telling her about one of the constellations. He'd always been really fascinated with stars and constellations and space in general, and he was glad because it gave him something to talk about.

He found a particularly bright star and explained how it was a part of the milky way which was why it was so bright then he showed her how it had wings and a body extending outwards forming an eagle, and he didn't mean to but he got kind of excited to tell her about it and without realizing it he was rambling enthusiastically. Once he realized what he was doing he stopped cold and he could feel the warmth creeping up the back of his neck.

"That's so cool, is there more?" she asked surprising him and making him forget about his discomfort from a moment before.

"Yeah," he said then he found the northern cross and pointed it out to her then showed her how it formed part of the body of a swan and he talked about the Greek myths and he leaned in close as he spoke. She listened intently and with the quiet of the evening, the stars shining overhead, and the moonlight mirrored in her eyes and creating a soft glow reflecting off of her hair he knew that _this_ was a good moment.

He placed his hand on her cheek, sliding against the smooth softness of her skin, and she tilted her face up to him, her eyes meeting his, then closing as he leaned forward. He was so close, but this time he was almost anticipating the interruption and unfortunately his prognosis came true. Before he could get any closer he heard the door opening, and her mom peaked her head out. They both jumped back a little bit, and she smiled softly at them, her expression almost like she felt bad for interrupting them and she let them know it a quarter to ten, and that meant he needed to leave to make it home on time.

She left them alone again, but he knew the moment was lost now, and he would just have to try again the next day.

...

AN: So what do you think, are they going to ever get that kiss? What do you think Finn should do?


End file.
